1881 Carskey Census - the Forbes Mackay Family
The Forbes Mackay Family
MacNeill descendants in the early 19th century
When Malcolm MacNeill, the last male on the direct MacNeill of Carskey line, passed away c. 1824, he was survived by one daughter and four grandchildren. The MacNeill male lineage had reached a dead end, but the name marched on thanks to local McVicar descendant, John McMillan, who embraced the MacNeill name and assumed the position of Laird of Carskey.
The preservation of the MacNeill name and lineage seemed assured, but only four of John McMillan's eight children survived infancy and only one, eldest daughter Penelope, married. She had the following issue:
When Malcolm MacNeill, the last male on the direct MacNeill of Carskey line, passed away c. 1824, he was survived by one daughter and four grandchildren. The MacNeill male lineage had reached a dead end, but the name marched on thanks to local McVicar descendant, John McMillan, who embraced the MacNeill name and assumed the position of Laird of Carskey.
The preservation of the MacNeill name and lineage seemed assured, but only four of John McMillan's eight children survived infancy and only one, eldest daughter Penelope, married. She had the following issue:
- Alexander Forbes Mackay born 1835;
- twin daughters Isabella & Jean born 1837.
1881 Census at Carskey House
The 1881 Carskey census (above) provides a comprehensive list of the McMillan MacNeill descendants (apart from Jean Forbes Mackay, who married Douglas MacDonald of Sanda in 1866, and her twin sister, Isabella, who died in 1851), a glimpse into their lives in the grand old house and some of the Forbes Mackay movements over the years. Living with the family at that time were a tutor and a governess, both Australian-born, five domestic servants, and a visitor with a familiar name ... William Colville.
Here is a explanation of the census list:
If they were looking down from above, Malcolm MacNeill and John McMillan MacNeill could be forgiven for thinking that, in 1881, the family succession after almost a 100 years of uncertainty, was finally assured by the six Forbes Mackay sons. How wrong they would have been. By 1940, Frank Forbes Mackay was the last male standing, and it is doubtful he had any issue. It was Frank who inherited the hand-me-down trouslach* of the MacNeills and with it the MacNeill Journal aka The Compt Book. So what happened to this family after 1881? Read on.
* Trouslach - an old Campbeltown term meaning rubbish or junk.
The 1881 Carskey census (above) provides a comprehensive list of the McMillan MacNeill descendants (apart from Jean Forbes Mackay, who married Douglas MacDonald of Sanda in 1866, and her twin sister, Isabella, who died in 1851), a glimpse into their lives in the grand old house and some of the Forbes Mackay movements over the years. Living with the family at that time were a tutor and a governess, both Australian-born, five domestic servants, and a visitor with a familiar name ... William Colville.
Here is a explanation of the census list:
- Alexander Forbes Mackay, 46, son of Penelope and grandson of John McMillan MacNeill and Jean MacNeill, born in Edinburgh; Alexander was Donald McLaran of Dalby's third cousin;
- Mabel Innes, 42, Alexander's wife, born in Edinburgh;
- Cosmo Forbes Mackay, 14, their son, born in Edinburgh;
- Malcolm Forbes Mackay, 11, their son, born in Bengal;
- Hugh Rose Forbes Mackay, 9, their son, born in Edinburgh;
- Ian Forbes Mackay, 7, their son, born in Edinburgh;
- Isabella Rose Forbes Mackay, 5, their daughter born in Southend;
- Alistair Forbes Mackay, 5, their son, born in Southend;
- Frank Forbes Mackay, 1, their son, born in Southend;
- Helen McMillan MacNeill, 68, daughter of John McMillan MacNeil and Alexander's aunt;
- William Colville, 84, visitor, retired solicitor, perhaps a distant relation to the William Colville who married Margaret Mackay aka Burns (1866-1954) in North Dakota, USA , in 1888;
- John McLarty, 23, tutor, born in NSW;
- Angusina McGinty, 21, governess, born in Victoria;
- five domestic servants born in various parts of Scotland.
If they were looking down from above, Malcolm MacNeill and John McMillan MacNeill could be forgiven for thinking that, in 1881, the family succession after almost a 100 years of uncertainty, was finally assured by the six Forbes Mackay sons. How wrong they would have been. By 1940, Frank Forbes Mackay was the last male standing, and it is doubtful he had any issue. It was Frank who inherited the hand-me-down trouslach* of the MacNeills and with it the MacNeill Journal aka The Compt Book. So what happened to this family after 1881? Read on.
* Trouslach - an old Campbeltown term meaning rubbish or junk.
The fate of the people in the 1881 Carskey Census
Alexander Forbes Mackay b. 1835 d. 1907
Alexander was the son of John Alexander Mackay and Penelope McMillan MacNeill. John was the only son of Alexander Mackay of Blackcastle and a Lt Colonel in the 22 Gordon Highlanders.
Margaret Isabella (Mabel) Innes, Alexander's wife, b. 1839 d 1929
Mabel was the daughter of Professor Cosmo Innes, a famous judge, advocate, historian and antiquarian. When Mabel passed away at the age of 90, she was survived by only her sons Hugh and Frank and Hugh's two daughters. It would a further 10 years to the arrival of her first great-grandchildren.
Cosmo Forbes Mackay b. 1867 d. 1921
Cosmo was an adventurer. After a period as a merchant in India he travelled to South Africa where he married Florence Colley. Cosmo also participated in the Boer War. He died in 1921, it appears without issue.
Malcolm Forbes Mackay b. 1870 d. 1885
Malcolm died in Wales in unknown circumstances and was buried at the coastal town of Dwygyfychi.
Hugh Rose Forbes Mackay b. 1871 d. 1940
Hugh became an electrical engineer. In 1905 he worked for the Battersea (London) Borough and subsequently emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he was appointed chief of the city electricity department. He and his wife had two daughters, Rosemary and Alison. Rosemary married Douglas Cotton, a brother of Sidney Cotton, and died outside Ipswich in 1979. Her son Hugh Douglas Cotton passed away in 2005. The legendary Sidney Cotton (1894 - 1969) was arguably the most "enterprising" Queenslander ever born and is a welcome addition to this website.
Ian Forbes Mackay b. 1873 d. 1915
Ian followed his father's footsteps and joined the army. He served in India and on the western front in World War 1. He was also a merchant in Cochin, India, alongside his brother Frank. Ian married Esther Corse-Scott and was killed in action on 25 Sep 1915. It appears he died without issue. Ian, like his father, was a member of the 22 Gordon Highlanders.
Isabella Rose Forbes Mackay b. 1875 d. 1913
In 1903, Isabella married Alastair Oswald Morison Mackenzie K.C., b. 1858 d. 1949, 5th son of Lord Mackenzie. In his role as Sheriff, Mackenzie was a leading figure in Bloody Friday, the Battle of George Square in Glasgow on 19 Jan 1919. Their son Donald, born in 1905, died in 1930.
Alistair Forbes Mackay b. 1878 d. 1914
Alistair became a world-famous polar explorer who died a tragic death in the Chukchai Sea, north of the Bering Strait. He is deserving of his own page.
Frank Forbes Mackay b. 1879 d. 1959
Frank's career reflected that of his father and his brothers with time spent in the army and as a merchant in India. He returned to the UK and when living in Dorset married Ivy Gray at the age of 40. Thereafter he lived in Argyle near Campbeltown and finished his days in Edinburgh. Frank's life is also covered in the Compt Book page. It appears Frank died without issue. His lasting legacy is his determined publication of the Compt Book.
Helen McMillan MacNeill 1813 - 1888
Helen never married and saw out her days at Carskey.
Alexander Forbes Mackay b. 1835 d. 1907
Alexander was the son of John Alexander Mackay and Penelope McMillan MacNeill. John was the only son of Alexander Mackay of Blackcastle and a Lt Colonel in the 22 Gordon Highlanders.
Margaret Isabella (Mabel) Innes, Alexander's wife, b. 1839 d 1929
Mabel was the daughter of Professor Cosmo Innes, a famous judge, advocate, historian and antiquarian. When Mabel passed away at the age of 90, she was survived by only her sons Hugh and Frank and Hugh's two daughters. It would a further 10 years to the arrival of her first great-grandchildren.
Cosmo Forbes Mackay b. 1867 d. 1921
Cosmo was an adventurer. After a period as a merchant in India he travelled to South Africa where he married Florence Colley. Cosmo also participated in the Boer War. He died in 1921, it appears without issue.
Malcolm Forbes Mackay b. 1870 d. 1885
Malcolm died in Wales in unknown circumstances and was buried at the coastal town of Dwygyfychi.
Hugh Rose Forbes Mackay b. 1871 d. 1940
Hugh became an electrical engineer. In 1905 he worked for the Battersea (London) Borough and subsequently emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he was appointed chief of the city electricity department. He and his wife had two daughters, Rosemary and Alison. Rosemary married Douglas Cotton, a brother of Sidney Cotton, and died outside Ipswich in 1979. Her son Hugh Douglas Cotton passed away in 2005. The legendary Sidney Cotton (1894 - 1969) was arguably the most "enterprising" Queenslander ever born and is a welcome addition to this website.
Ian Forbes Mackay b. 1873 d. 1915
Ian followed his father's footsteps and joined the army. He served in India and on the western front in World War 1. He was also a merchant in Cochin, India, alongside his brother Frank. Ian married Esther Corse-Scott and was killed in action on 25 Sep 1915. It appears he died without issue. Ian, like his father, was a member of the 22 Gordon Highlanders.
Isabella Rose Forbes Mackay b. 1875 d. 1913
In 1903, Isabella married Alastair Oswald Morison Mackenzie K.C., b. 1858 d. 1949, 5th son of Lord Mackenzie. In his role as Sheriff, Mackenzie was a leading figure in Bloody Friday, the Battle of George Square in Glasgow on 19 Jan 1919. Their son Donald, born in 1905, died in 1930.
Alistair Forbes Mackay b. 1878 d. 1914
Alistair became a world-famous polar explorer who died a tragic death in the Chukchai Sea, north of the Bering Strait. He is deserving of his own page.
Frank Forbes Mackay b. 1879 d. 1959
Frank's career reflected that of his father and his brothers with time spent in the army and as a merchant in India. He returned to the UK and when living in Dorset married Ivy Gray at the age of 40. Thereafter he lived in Argyle near Campbeltown and finished his days in Edinburgh. Frank's life is also covered in the Compt Book page. It appears Frank died without issue. His lasting legacy is his determined publication of the Compt Book.
Helen McMillan MacNeill 1813 - 1888
Helen never married and saw out her days at Carskey.
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William Colville 1797 - 1887
William Colville is buried at Keil Cemetery within the fenced MacNeill family enclosure. His connection to the MacNeills is yet to be established, but inclusion in the family plot suggests a long and close relationship with one of the family, perhaps an unmarried son or daughter of John McMillan MacNeill. William was the son of Robert Colville and Margaret McMurchy. The father of the William Colville who married Margaret Jones Mackay was also a Robert Colville, no doubt a connection exists. While the Forbes Mackays were absent in 1871, William was trusted to be in charge of Carskey according to the Census of that year - see below. His headstone records he was a writer. |
1871 Carskey Census
This is an interesting census record of the four people living in Carskey Mansion:
This is an interesting census record of the four people living in Carskey Mansion:
- William Colville (71) Occupier in Charge, unmarried, writer - not in practice, born Campbeltown. William was entrusted with the running of the Carskey mansion and perhaps the landholding as well.
- Ann McKay (36) General servant (domestic), born Campbeltown (incorrect). Ann's mother Jean had passed away in 1869.
- Margaret McKay (4) Servant's daughter, born Campbeltown (incorrect). The future wife of William Colville 1860 - 1930.
Comments on the Forbes Mackay family
The marriage of Penelope McMillan MacNeill to John Alexander Mackay represented a "breakout" for the MacNeill family from parochial Argyle into the mainstream upper class society of Edinburgh. (Frank Forbes Mackay recalls in The Compt Book that his grandmother Penelope had never left Southend prior to her 1833 marriage when she was 34 years old.)
Alexander's marriage to Mabel Innes, the daughter of a famous professor, resulted in a clever, adventurous and resourceful generation who turned their backs on Carskey and Southend.
The high-achieving Forbes Mackay children married well, displayed great enterprise, and served their country bravely and with distinction. The family deserves more than a single page but they are just an offshoot of the female McVicar line in the McLaran family, and hence distant relations - Alexander Forbes Mackay and Donald McLaran, both born in the 1830s, were third cousins.
Alistair is undoubtedly the most famous Forbes Mackay. His achievements at both poles are widely reported and museums hold photographs and journals of his exploits. His stoic death is reminiscent of that of Duncan McLaren in 1879.
Sadly, the Forbes Mackays, like their Innes relations, were afflicted by early deaths - often due to illness - and subsequently there was a shortage of issue. It appears that the only MacNeill of Carskey descendants alive today may be the grandchildren and great grandchildren (if there are any) of Rosemary and Alison, the daughters of Hugh Forbes Mackay and any descendants of Jean Forbes Mackay 1837 - 1915. Jean married Douglas John Kenneir MacDonald of Sanda 1838 - 1901 and they had two sons and two daughters. One son, Douglas emigrated to Australia, joined the Light Brigade during the Boer War, and died of illness in Pretoria. Second son John died in Rhodesia in 1935. Further generations of descendants of Jean Forbes Mackay are yet to be established.
The family sold Carskey House in the early 20th century, probably after the death of Alexander Forbes Mackay. The old manor house was demolished by the new owners and a grand structure built in its place.
It appears that at the time of the sale of Carskey, no Forbes Mackay son stepped forward to assume the role of a laird in this remote part of Scotland - the attractions of foreign countries, polar expeditions and armed conflict were too great. The new manor has a bright future today.
The marriage of Penelope McMillan MacNeill to John Alexander Mackay represented a "breakout" for the MacNeill family from parochial Argyle into the mainstream upper class society of Edinburgh. (Frank Forbes Mackay recalls in The Compt Book that his grandmother Penelope had never left Southend prior to her 1833 marriage when she was 34 years old.)
Alexander's marriage to Mabel Innes, the daughter of a famous professor, resulted in a clever, adventurous and resourceful generation who turned their backs on Carskey and Southend.
The high-achieving Forbes Mackay children married well, displayed great enterprise, and served their country bravely and with distinction. The family deserves more than a single page but they are just an offshoot of the female McVicar line in the McLaran family, and hence distant relations - Alexander Forbes Mackay and Donald McLaran, both born in the 1830s, were third cousins.
Alistair is undoubtedly the most famous Forbes Mackay. His achievements at both poles are widely reported and museums hold photographs and journals of his exploits. His stoic death is reminiscent of that of Duncan McLaren in 1879.
Sadly, the Forbes Mackays, like their Innes relations, were afflicted by early deaths - often due to illness - and subsequently there was a shortage of issue. It appears that the only MacNeill of Carskey descendants alive today may be the grandchildren and great grandchildren (if there are any) of Rosemary and Alison, the daughters of Hugh Forbes Mackay and any descendants of Jean Forbes Mackay 1837 - 1915. Jean married Douglas John Kenneir MacDonald of Sanda 1838 - 1901 and they had two sons and two daughters. One son, Douglas emigrated to Australia, joined the Light Brigade during the Boer War, and died of illness in Pretoria. Second son John died in Rhodesia in 1935. Further generations of descendants of Jean Forbes Mackay are yet to be established.
The family sold Carskey House in the early 20th century, probably after the death of Alexander Forbes Mackay. The old manor house was demolished by the new owners and a grand structure built in its place.
It appears that at the time of the sale of Carskey, no Forbes Mackay son stepped forward to assume the role of a laird in this remote part of Scotland - the attractions of foreign countries, polar expeditions and armed conflict were too great. The new manor has a bright future today.
The rebuilt (early 1900s) Carskey Manor today (current owners spell the name "Carskiey")